IT HAS been a great few days for the Pond House yard with a wonderful winner at Cheltenham on Friday and the sixth win of the year for Chemical Warfare at Newcastle on Saturday.

King Turgeon has been the revelation of the season so far for the team, putting in a career best effort at Prestbury Park on Friday to win a competitive Premier handicap chase. He started this autumn by winning impressively at Chepstow and followed up in the Grand Sefton chase at Aintree over the National fences.

We were sent off second favourite behind the top weight Chianti Classico and we led the field until mistakes four out and three out cost us rail position and the lead coming down the hill. Jack then switched King Turgeon wide rounding the final turn and asked him for his effort to which he did jumping the last fence well and staying on strongly up the hill to repass toiling rivals.

The Grand National is of course at the back of our minds but he would still have to improve a few more pounds to even get in this in the race at this stage.

King Turgeon was winner number 32 for Pond house this season and we did not have to wait too long for our 33rd success, with Chemical Warfare winning up at Newcastle over the weekend.

This was his second win at the track for me, his third career success in the North East and he certainly enjoys his travels to race near to where his owners are based.

Chemical Warfare is versatile ground wise but does seem to prefer conditions not too soft and there is plenty more fun to be had with our seven-year-old.

Lady Balko has got the new week off to a perfect start by winning again at Plumpton on Monday afternoon. Her jumping was again very good bar one mistake and it was a good performance off a nine-pound higher mark. We have her entered for a valuable mares chase at Hereford on Saturday.

Belfrina made a pleasing stable debut in the three-year-old juvenile hurdle at Doncaster on Friday, finishing second to a well-regarded rival.

Shot Boii ran another good race to be third at Lingfield on Monday; hopefully the handicapper will give him some help and his winning turn should not be too far away.

Gold in the Rivers runs in the same colours as Shot Boii and stepped up from his stable debut to be fourth in the Pertemps qualifying handicap hurdle at Carlisle on Sunday. He travelled well, perhaps a little too enthusiastically to start with, which did see him finish not as strongly as I might have hoped but he did finish fourth and he now has an automatic qualifying spot for the Cheltenham final in March providing he is in the handicap.

Tuxedo Junction was also a pleasing third at Taunton last week in a useful looking novice hurdle. He pulled well clear with two other rivals and I am sure he can get his head in front very soon again over hurdles.

Thanksforthehelp was a little disappointing at Bangor, finishing fourth but losing two places after the final hurdle.

On Tuesday, we have three runners at Wincanton while we have just the one runner at Ludlow the next day. Then Thursday, we have entries at Exeter and Ffos Las while on Friday Windbeneathmywings is likely to make his stable debut in the Listed bumper at Ascot.

Over the weekend, we have entries at Haydock, Hereford and Fakenham before the mini pre-Christmas break, so keep checking the Daily News on the website for the latest information on the stable runners.